Pirate, Princess, or Race Car?

In May — just in time for summer vacation’s inevitable whine, “But mom, I have NOTHING to do!” — Disney will introduce a new line of character themed electronics, including “the first line of Pirates of the Caribbean electronics and all new designs for Disney Princess and Cars – the lines include TVs, DVD players and boom boxes that feature smart yet whimsical designs and kid-friendly features, ideal for sprucing up the décor in kids’ rooms. The new character-themed electronics line will range from $24.99 to $199.99 SRP.”

In my personal experience, I’m pretty sure the kids I babysit for care much more about what’s playing on their TV or DVD player than what it looks like in and of itself, but Disney has found yet another outlet on which to project its “Pirate and Princess” marketing strategy. The issues discussed at length in my “…Of Pirates” post remain the same in the following descriptions of Disney’s new products, and the way in which they blatantly appeal to gender norms is, yet again, intriguing to the way in which Disney markets its girls’ and boys’ merchandise.

(from Disney’s advertising for these products)

“Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean Electronics
Modern-day Pirates will treasure Disney’s new line of Pirates of the Caribbean electronics. The new line has something for everyone – from skulls-and-crossbones-topped TVs to a DVD player resembling a captain’s wheel on a Pirate’s ship, from a boom box shaped like Davy Jones’ chest to a skull clock radio featuring Disney Pirates music.

Disney Princess Electronics
Little girls can add a bit of royalty to their rooms with the new redesigned line of Disney Princess electronics. They can choose from tiara-topped, pink and gold Disney Princess TVs and TV/DVD combos with dazzling, wand-shaped full function remote control, a Disney Princess boom box which plays CDs and doubles as a stunning jewelry box, a pink, heart-shaped Disney Princess personal CD player designed as a purse with carrying strap, and an alarm clock radio shaped like Sleeping Beauty’s magical castle which plays custom Princess songs.”